Your Attention
by chibigirl8
Summary: He never gives her his attention. But what if she captures it without even realizing it. Will she get everything she wants and needs? RyoSaku. Slight OOCness.
1. Her Voice

**A/N: Hey minna-san. Check it out. If you read my first fanfic then you know that my computer was on the outs. But everything is up and ready to go. I actually came up with this story while my computer was down, so I have written most of it by hand already. Please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

**[lyrics to songs]**

* * *

Chapter one

Her voice

Screams could be heard all around the tennis courts as fans cheered for their favorite players. The cheers got louder as a certain young tennis player stepped onto court D. He had dark green hair and golden eyes. He was also shorter than all the other regulars on the team. He also received the most attention from the students at their school. His name is Echizen Ryoma, the young tennis prodigy.

However, he was not the complete center of attention. Each of the other regulars had their own fan clubs. Though Tezuka, Fuji, Oishi, Kikumaru, Kawamura, Inui, Kaidoh, and Momoshiro had smaller fan clubs than their kouhai, they were okay with it. But sometimes they got tired of all the yelling going on while they tried to practice. There were only two girls they were really okay with.

The girls were both first years, brunettes, and best friends. The difference was Osakada Tomoka was the loud mouthed one whereas Ryuzaki Sakuno was the shy and quiet one. Tomoka was the one who drew attention to herself. Sakuno was the one who tried to avoid attracting attention to herself. As president of Ryoma's fan club, Tomoka was always ready to let Ryoma know of her affection, no matter how much he ignored her. Sakuno, on the other hand, would probably have a heart attack before she would be able to get the words out of her mouth to let Ryoma know how she really felt about him.

Sakuno didn't like that about herself. If she could tell him how she felt she would, yet Sakuno could only look at Ryoma in silent awe of his abilities. At best she could stutter a sentence or two out of her mouth, or just blush when he told her she had "wobbly hips" or that her "hair was too long." Sakuno felt happy just watching him, but she wished it was more.

"Sakuno, can you come here?"

"Hai, Obaa-chan," Sakuno answered her grandmother and the boys tennis coach, Ryuzaki Sumire.

"Sakuno, I need you to run a few errands for me in the school. By the time you finish we can go home."

"Hai," Sakuno sighed. She wanted to finish watching Ryoma's practice match with Inui.

* * *

Sakuno sighed a sigh of relief as she made her way down the hall, outside, and to the tennis courts. With any luck, she would be able to see the end of Ryoma's match. With more luck, Sakuno would be able to rid herself of the song that was stuck in her head. For some reason, Tomoka had to play the same song on her MP3 player twenty times, and for some reason she made Sakuno listen to it for about fifteen of those twenty times.

_I guess there's no helping it,_ Sakuno thought. She looked up and down the hall. Since the hallway was clear, she opened up her mouth and began to sing.

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky  
And I'll make a wish  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget all the ones that I love  
I'll take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway

Suddenly Sakuno heard clapping coming from behind her. She abruptly stopped and turned around to face the person who heard her. It was a girl who had short black hair and beautiful green eyes.

"You have like the most amazing voice I have heard in a while!" the girl exclaimed. When Sakuno didn't say anything the girl continued. "You know, you would be awesome in my band. We have been looking for a lead singer for a while now. I mean after we lost our last singer, I tried to fill the shoes, but that didn't work out. See like I'm the drummer for the band, so I couldn't be the lead. I mean that would be-let's just say different. Then there is the matter of my voice. The rest of the band actually told me that I should stick to background vocals. Can you believe that? Well, I guess you couldn't because you probably never heard me sing. But that's what they told me. Anyways, your voice is amazing. You would be perfect for it. So what do you say?

Sakuno was in shock. This girl talked faster than Tomoka. Finally everything caught up with her. "S-Say a-about what?" she asked.

"Joining my band of course!"

"A b-band? M-Me?" Sakuno was truly shocked.

The girl looked Sakuno over. "Listen. You have a great voice, but you do seem shy. I bet you don't like that about yourself." She waited a second before continuing. "Singing in a band could help give you some courage and break you out of that shell."

"Y-You t-think?" Sakuno was really thinking about it now.

"Totally. So what do you say?"

"Who are you?"

"Oh, right. My name is Mitsuharu Hikaru. I'm a 2nd year and drummer for my band. You?"

"Ryuzaki Sakuno, 1st year, and I'll let you know."

"Hey, think about it tonight and come by class 2-C tomorrow. If you're interested, you can come by our practice after school and make you decision then. Would that be alright with you?"

"Y-Yeah. That would be great." Sakuno smiled.

They said their good-byes and went their separate ways.

* * *

Sakuno couldn't stop thinking about the band and the possibility of her actually singing in one. She was even distracted during dinner.

"Sakuno," her grandmother called. "Sakuno, are you okay?"

"Huh? What did you say, Obaa-chan?"

"I have been calling you for the past few minutes. What's wrong?"

"Ah, Obaa-chan, what would you think if I joined a band?"

Sumire was honestly caught off guard. Her shy Sakuno in a band? "Well, would you be singing?" Sakuno nodded. "Then, I think it would be a great idea. It would broaden your horizon. Who knows maybe you would like to do that for a living. Though I'm not saying you should, but you should give it a try. You have a beautiful voice."

"I-I do? But how-"

"Sakuno, you sing in the shower," Sumire answered bluntly.

"Oh."

Sakuno thought about the band as she finished her dinner and did the dishes. Once she was done, Sakuno made her way to the living room where her grandmother was.

"Obaa-chan, I think I'll give it a shot."

"Excellent. Just be sure to tell me when you're going to have practice, okay?"

"Hai!"

Sakuno ran upstairs to her room ready for it to be tomorrow already.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson.**


	2. His Emotions

**A/N: Sorry its been a while. Its the end of the year and my teachers are still giving me work. Please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

**Chapter 2**

**His Emotions**

It had been three weeks since Sakuno had joined the band, and she had already fallen into a routine. She woke up earlier in the mornings and made it to the morning tennis practice. She would have lunch with Tomoka and some of the other first years. But since she got up early now, Sakuno cut back on making Ryoma's lunches like she always did. At first she wondered if he would say something about it. Yet, he was indifferent about it as always. And then finally after school, she went to band practice.

The band was great. Beginning with day one, Sakuno's voice blended in with the band. The band members were great, too. First there was Hikaru. She was not only the drummer, but she was also the founder of the band. Next, came her cousin, Riku. He was a third year and the lead guitarist. The band practiced at his house. Riku's best friend, Ran, played the keyboard. Ran was also a third year. His girlfriend was the final member of the band and Hikaru's best friend, Hana. Hana was a second year and the bass guitarist for the band.

All the members were nice to Sakuno. She still felt weird about being the youngest in the band, but after hearing her melodic voice, no else seemed to care. Sakuno felt that little by little she was coming out of her shell. Sakuno felt happy. Truly happy.

* * *

Ryoma was furious. Everything started with Sakuno not showing up at afternoon tennis practice. The annoying girls seemed even louder without Sakuno's calming presence there, especially her loud mouth friend Tomoka. Without Sakuno with her, Tomoka's voice seemed to rise above the others. The upside was Sakuno came in the mornings when there was less people around. But the upside turned into a downside because of Ryoma's nosy sempai. Now, all they asked were questions about Sakuno. All the questions basically asked the same thing: "What's happened to Sakuno? Why does she only come to the morning practice? Why does she seem more radiant?"

Ryoma always answered the same way. "How should I know?" Or "Why don't you ask her yourself?" Sakuno wasn't his problem. She was a big girl. She could take care of herself.

_Except when navigation is involved,_ Ryoma thought. _Or, when someone is after her._ Ryoma sighed.

Still, Ryoma didn't understand why he was suppose to have all the answers. Between the nosy sempai and the screaming girls, Ryoma went home with a headache.

And to top it all off, Sakuno had stop making his lunch. Sure the first few days he didn't notice. He slept during lunch like he used to before Sakuno started making his lunch. However, Ryoma's playing began to suffer a little because he wasn't nourished enough. So instead of sleeping, Ryoma bought food to eat at school, but it still wasn't right for some reason. Ryoma was mad that things were changing with no reason at all. He was also confused. He was asking the same question: "What's happened to Sakuno?"

Now after three weeks, Ryoma was ready to find out what was going on.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch. Sakuno and Tomoka made their way out of the classroom and towards the cafeteria. They found their table near the window. Horio, Katsuo, and Kachiro were already seated. The girls began to eat their lunch only to stop for an unexpected surprise. Ryoma arrived at their table with his food in his hands. He saw an empty chair in front of Sakuno and decided to sit there.

"Ah, Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka exclaimed. "Wow! I can't believe you're sitting with us."

"Hmm," Ryoma replied. He began eating his lunch ignoring the loud mouth girl as he ate. Ryoma contemplated how he should ask Sakuno about the changes. He looked over at the girl inquestion. Luckily, she was watching Tomoka and Horio fight as usual.

Sakuno thought she felt someone looking at her. She looked up to see Ryoma watching her. She blushed a deep red.

_Why is Ryoma-kun looking at me?_ Sakuno thought. _Is there something on my face? Maybe he wants to talk to me? No, that's not it._

But she decided to try anyway.

"Umm, Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno waited for a response.

Ryoma just raised his eyebrow slightly. He hated that he was caught staring, but he decided that it was okay since he thought Sakuno was pretty cute when she blushed. Ryoma wondered why that was. Why did she always blush? And since when did she become cute? Sakuno was just Sakuno, the coach's granddaughter. Ryoma was so caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't realize Sakuno was trying to get his attention.

"R-Ryoma-kun? A-Are you okay?" Sakuno asked.

Ryoma nodded once.

_She's cute when she stutters too,_ Ryoma thought.

Suddenly two girls appeared next to Sakuno. Ryoma watched as the girls handed Sakuno a note and Sakuno read the note. He watched as Sakuno gave the girls a confused look. He saw the girls nod at something behind him. He looked at Sakuno as she glanced at something behind him. He stared at Sakuno as she shook her head at whatever was behind him with a small smile on her face.

_She's truly beautiful,_ Ryoma thought. It was then that Ryoma realized that he was infatuated with Sakuno.

"Umm, Tomo-chan," Sakuno called her best friend.

Tomoka pulled herself away from the still ongoing fight with Horio.

"What's up Sakuno?" Tomoka asked.

"I-I'm going to sit with another friend, okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Bye." Sakuno got up from the table, going around it so that she could head towards a different table. Ryoma wanted to see where she was going to sit, but he was too proud to let anyone see him watching Sakuno.

After a few minutes, the other tennis regulars decided to say hello.

"Yo, Echizen!" Momo called. "What are you doing here?"

Ryoma looked up at his sempai. "Eating lunch," Ryoma replied bluntly.

"Eh, where is Sakuno-chan?" Eiji asked looking around the table.

"She went to sit with another friend, Eiji-sempai," Tomoka answered.

"Huh? Where'd Tezuka go?"

"Eiji calm down," Fuji said. "He's going to sit over there where Riku is sitting with…"

"Sakuno!" the rest of the older boys finished.

The first years looked to see what table Tezuka was heading towards. They were all shocked to see their Sakuno talking with an older boy. And she was laughing. Hard. Tears were even coming out of her eyes. Sakuno wiped them away when she saw Tezuka approaching the table. Tezuka greeted both of them. He shook hands with Riku and nodded at Sakuno. Tezuka sat down and began eating.

The others couldn't help but stare at the situation and Sakuno's hidden side. Sakuno seemed out of her shell. She seemed more expressive. Even Tomoka hadn't seen this side of her best friend. Everyone watched with wide-eyes when they saw Riku and Sakuno sneak glances at one another, and when Sakuno stuck her tongue out at Riku.

"Is that Sakuno?" Tomoka asked out loud. The first year looked at the others around her. Most were still frozen with shock. Inui was scribbling in his notebook. Taka and Kaidoh had looked away slightly embarrassed. Why? They didn't really know. And Fuji had a weird grin on his face.

"It would seem so," Fuji answered.

"Who is that guy anyway?" Horio asked.

"Mitsuharu Riku. He's a third year like us. In fact he's right behind Tezuka and myself in ranking," Fuji replied once again. Fuji looked over at his favorite kouhai and smiled even more. Ryoma seemed to be steaming. Ryoma glared a deadly glare at Riku who didn't even notice.

Fuji looked at the other regulars and said, "Shall we eat lunch with them?"

Everyone stare at Fuji, but he only chuckled and headed towards Sakuno. The others followed leaving the first years at their table.


	3. Their Relationship

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for the wait. Please forgive me ^_^ This chapter begins right before Sakuno left Ryoma to sit with Riku.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3**

**Their Relationship**

"Umm, Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno waited for a response.

Sakuno was beginning to worry about Ryoma. He kept staring at her which made her uncomfortable. The more Ryoma stared the more Sakuno blushed. And all he did to respond was raise his eyebrow. Sakuno didn't know where to go from there. Plus, he kept staring at her which made the situation worst. She decided to try and get his attention again.

"R-Ryoma-kun? A-Are you okay?" Sakuno asked.

_At least he nodded this time,_ Sakuno thought.

Suddenly two girls walked up and tapped Sakuno on her shoulder. Sakuno turned and looked up at the two girls. Both were older, but she didn't know who they were since she didn't know a lot of the second and third years. The girl that tapped her on the shoulder handed her a note.

Sakuno took it and read the note.

**Will you have lunch with me?** the note read. It also had three boxes. Next to the first one it read **yes**. The second read **no**. And the last one said **maybe**. The person who sent the note didn't leave a name.

Sakuno looked up the older girls in confusion. Both of them nodded at someone a few tables away. Sakuno looked to see Riku smirking at her. When he saw she was looking over at him, he motioned for her to join him.

_Of course, _Sakuno thought. She couldn't help but shake her head as a small smile graced her lips. _Maybe I should try eating with him. He is sitting all alone._

Sakuno sighed. She let Tomoka know she was going to sit with "another friend." She hadn't yet told her best friend know about the band or her new friends. There really wasn't a reason why. Sakuno knew Tomoka would support her, but for some reason she liked having this secret. Not that it was one or anything. Maybe it would be a great surprise for her friends one day.

Sakuno reached Riku's table. She looked at Riku's still smirking face and immediately knew something was up. In their short time knowing each other, Riku and Sakuno became good friends.

-flashback—

It was the second day of band practice. Sakuno was singing beautifully. She wanted to make sure she made everyone proud seeing as she was the new girl. So far the band was only practicing songs that Sakuno knew until everyone was comfortable with the new arrangement. Then they decided they would move on to other songs.

Sakuno felt that the flow of the room was great until Riku bumped into her. She thought it was an accident until he did it five more times. She decided to take the initiative to move out of that area so for the next song they were practicing, Sakuno moved from the center and closer to Hana. However, Riku followed her and continued to bump into her.

Sakuno was suddenly really irritated with her new band mate. She tried to contain herself, but before the song ended she had lost it.

Totally unlike her, Sakuno began yelling at Riku.

"Why do you keep bumping into me? Do you not see me or something? Are you just uncoordinated? What's your problem?"

Hana, Ran, and Hikaru were shocked not only at Sakuno's behavior, but also at Riku's behavior. They all knew that Riku acted better than he was at the moment. They moved their heads back and forth between Riku and Sakuno to see who was going to break the silence.

Sakuno and Riku were staring each other down. Then surprisingly, Riku smirked. And Sakuno let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Can I see you for a moment, Ryuzaki-chan?" Riku asked.

"H-Hai," Sakuno answered suspiciously.

The two walked out the room leaving the others to wonder about what's going on.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you."

Sakuno could only stare. She didn't believe his apology on the account that he was still smirking.

"Why did you do it then?"

"To see if you could really come out of your shell?"

"Huh?"

"Hikaru told me you want to come out of your shell. So I wanted to test you to see if you would take the bait and come out of your shell."

Once again, Sakuno stared at him in shock. Riku was suddenly uncomfortable.

"Umm, are you going to say something, Ryuzaki-chan?"

"Sakuno."

"Nande?"

"Call me Sakuno."

"Ah, hai."

"Arigato, sempai." Sakuno smiled.

"For what?"

"Trying to help me." Sakuno bowed. "Please continue to help."

-end flashback—

Since then Riku and Sakuno had become good friends. After school, they would sometimes walk to practice together.

Riku always tried to come up with ways to help Sakuno come out of her shell. Most times Sakuno just shook her head and laughed. The rest of the time she just ignored his weird antics.

"Okay, what's up?" Sakuno asked.

"Why whatever do you mean?" Riku asked with his smirk still in place.

"You're smirking and that means that I'm not going to like what you're thinking. By the way, where's your lunch?"

"That is not important at the moment. What is important is the question at hand."

"Which is?"

"Trainer or coordinator?"

"Huh?"

"Pokémon. Which would you rather be a trainer or coordinator?"

Sakuno began to laugh. Only Riku would ask her weird questions like that. He had a tendency to ask her side on something, and then go to the opposing side. He did this whether he agreed with the opposing side or not. Tears began to fall as she remembered the 'ninjas versus pirates' argument they had.

Sakuno heard a noise and looked to see Tezuka coming to sit with them. She quickly wiped away her tears and tried to compose herself. After exchanging greetings Tezuka sat down and began eating.

Sakuno glanced at Riku and saw that his smirk was back. She stuck her tongue out at him, and decided to finish eating herself.

After about a minute, the other older tennis regulars sat down. Sakuno was surprised. Once again greetings were given.

"So Ryuzaki-chan, how do you know Mitsuharu-san?" Oishi asked.

Before Sakuno could answer, Riku spoke. "Oh, we go way back."

"Really?" Momo asked.

"H-Hai," Sakuno answered.

"It's weird to see you eating lunch with someone other than Osakada-san or Echizen," Fuji noted. He looked over at Riku and saw that he didn't have a lunch. "Have you finished your lunch already Mitsuahru-san?"

"Oh, I haven't eaten yet, Fuji-san. Sakuno promised me half of her lunch."

All the regulars, except Tezuka who really could care less, looked over at Sakuno who was already pushing her bento towards Riku. Everyone was surprised when Riku actually used Sakuno's chopsticks.

"Sakuno-chan, does this mean Mitsuharu-san is your boyfriend?" Eiji asked.

Sakuno started to blush a deep red. "No, Eiji-sempai, we're only friends."

"Sakuno, I'm hurt that you would only call us friends," Riku reported. He moved his hand over Sakuno's. "I always thought we were _more_."

Sakuno became an even deeper shade of red. She was totally embarrassed. She knew she had to get Riku out of there before he could do any more damage. After Riku's statement, Inui began to scribble in his notebook, and Sakuno took that as a bad sign.

"Umm, Riku-sempai, we have to go before we're late," Sakuno said quickly.

"Late?" a confused Riku asked.

"Yes. Late for the meeting with the, umm, dance committee. Remember?"

Riku continued to play dumb. "I don't remember a meeting."

"Well, there is one. So let's go." Sakuno grabbed Riku's arm and pulled him away from the table. Riku grabbed the bento before letting Sakuno pull him away. "Bye, sempai-tachi."

By this point the regulars knew something was going on with them.

"Oh no!" Eiji exclaimed. "This is really going to hurt ochibi."

"Or," Fuji added, "it could work to our advantage."

Everyone started wondering what was going on in his head.


	4. His Idea

**A/N: Hey guys. Well, here you go. It took me a while took get everything how I wanted. Please tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

**Chapter 4**

**His Idea**

"I can't believe you did that!" Sakuno exclaimed.

She and Riku were now standing in an empty hallway. Sakuno was still trying to understand what was going on in her friend's head. She was having a hard time calming down.

"This is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me."

Riku was laughing at the whole situation.

"I don't see what the problem is," Riku reported.

"Well, let's see. You told them we're more than friends for one."

"Well, we are," Riku said. "We're also part of a band together."

"But, they don't know that!" Sakuno said. She was starting to get angry.

"Look, Sakuno, I'm sorry okay," Riku said while putting on his best puppy dog face. He even had his bottom lip sticking out.

Sakuno glanced at her friend then said, "Liar."

"What? I'm not lying. I am truly sorry." He smiled to show his sincerity.

Sakuno lightly hit his chest with the back of her hand, calling his bluff. Riku, of course, faked hurt. The two friends were silent for a moment then they broke out into a fit a laughs.

They finally stopped when they heard someone clear their throat. Sakuno and Riku turned to see that it was Ryoma.

"Ah, Ryoma-kun, excuse us," Sakuno said. Sakuno felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

"It's okay," Ryoma replied.

"Ano…how w-was your l-lunch?"

"Good."

The silence was now awkward. Riku dared not interrupt.

Ryoma was the first to speak. "Can you let me by?"

"Huh?" Sakuno looked to see that she and Riku were standing in the middle of the hallway, which meant they were blocking the whole hallway. They also saw some of the other students staring at them. Sakuno turned an even deeper shade of red. Riku saw that his friend was frozen from embarrassment that he took the liberty to move them to the side of the hall and out of the other students' way. As soon as Sakuno and Riku moved, Ryoma passed them without another word.

"Sakuno, snap out of it," Riku said trying to get Sakuno's attention.

Sakuno mumbled something in response.

"Nande?"

"This is just not my day," Sakuno repeated louder.

"What makes you say that?"

Sakuno looked at Riku in response. Her look said it all.

"Oh, come on. The day is not a total lost. Actually you gave me a great idea." Riku smiled and began to walk away.

"Wait! What idea?"

Riku only waved good-bye as he continued down the hall to his class.

* * *

"Oi, Ochibi, it's terrible," Eiji said to Ryoma. Everyone was running laps, except for Tezuka who was watching the others' form and Inui who was waiting with his Penal Tea.

Ryoma only grunted. He didn't want to be distracted and have to drink Inui's concoction.

"Yeah, Echizen," Momo added. "She was eating lunch with that Mitsuharu guy. She even gave him half of her bento."

Ryoma continued to try to ignore his sempai. But, he had to admit to himself that he wanted to know what was going on with them.

_Is he the reason she doesn't come to afternoon practice?_ Ryoma thought.

"That's not all, Ochibi," Eiji said. "He also said they were 'more than friends.' And that means that they are boyfriend and girlfriend. Right, Momo?"

"Hai, Eiji-sempai."

Ryoma slowed up for a moment from pure shock and confusion. He didn't believe that she could be dating someone else. Not that she couldn't, of course, but something inside Ryoma didn't want to believe it. Ryoma had already admitted that Sakuno was beautiful. Maybe some other guy had seen what he had seen. However reasonable it seemed, Ryoma still couldn't get the idea of Sakuno belonging to someone else through his head. Sakuno always seemed to be waiting for a certain person. Was this Mitsuharu character the person she has been waiting to acknowledge her? Knowing Sakuno she could have been played. Ryoma knew that Sakuno was shy and sweet. She could actually be letting this guy walk all over her.

Ryoma's moment of shock and confusion was replaced with fury. Ryoma picked his speed up. Soon he was passing all the other regulars. He couldn't believe Sakuno was with another guy. Did the older Ryuzaki know about this new person in her life? Maybe he should tell the tennis coach, or maybe he should keep quiet. He knew that everyone would start assuming he was jealous of the older boy who had Sakuno's attention. In truth, he was, but he couldn't let anyone know that.

Before Ryoma knew it he had beat everyone in their laps and thankfully didn't have to drink the green liquid Inui was holding.

Ryoma walked to the fountains to cool off. His sempai watched him go.

"So, Fuji-sempai, how did we do?" Momo asked.

"You and Eiji did very well," Fuji replied. His smile made everyone else uncomfortable. "Arigato. Everything is going according to plan."

* * *

"You never answered my question," Sakuno and Riku spoke at the same time.

They were currently on their way from school to band rehearsal.

"Ladies first," Riku decided.

"Fine," Sakuno agreed. "What is your idea, and how did I give it to you?"

"All in good time grasshopper." As Riku said this he slightly bowed to Sakuno.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Trying to be funny. I'm still mad at you. The whole school thinks we're dating."

"Now who gave them that idea?"

"You. When I got to my class all the girls were talking about you. They talked about how cute you are, and how smart you are, and that I'm so lucky you are going out with me."

Riku snickered.

"It's not funny," Sakuno said but she too was smiling.

"So, how'd you handle it? Were you able to answer confidently? Did you tell them that we definitely weren't dating?"

"No," Sakuno sighed.

"Then it's not my fault, it's yours. You have to tell them straight out. This is your chance to come out of your comfort zone and become more out there. Kind of like you are with me."

"How come I'm so free with you, but with everyone else I'm just some girl who's too shy to speak?"

"You're comfortable with me," Riku answered simply.

"Yeah, but I'm comfortable with Tomo-chan."

"Maybe it's because she never tried to help get rid of you shell like I am."

"Maybe."

They were silent for a few minutes.

"Okay, my turn," Riku suddenly said.

"What?"

"You never answered my question. Trainer or coordinator?"

Sakuno sighed with exasperation, but she seriously thought about her response. "Coordinator."

"What?" Riku acted like he was sincerely appalled. "Why?"

"Coordinators get to think of cool combinations, and they still battle so its win-win."

"Trainers are totally better."

The two friends continued the argument until they reached Riku's house.

The band rehearsed for a couple hours. Once they were through practicing, the band had their meeting.

"Okay, guys Sakuno gave me a great idea today. I think it's time to have our first gig as a brand new band."

"When?" Hikaru asked.

"At the next dance. There's one in about a month or so, right? Hikaru, you're on the dance committee so you can probably get us the job."

"It's possible."

"Well then how about it? We don't even have to play the whole time. We con let the DJ start. Then at some point, we'll come out to play. After about let's say five songs, we can let the DJ take charge again. This way we can get some feedback on how we sound as a band."

"Well we do have about six weeks. Okay I'm in."

Ran and Hana looked at each other. "Us, too."

"Alright," Sakuno answered.


	5. Her Problem

**A/N: Okay, minna-san. Here you go. I've actually been working on this for a while. Thank you for all the reviews. You guys are awesome and much appreciated. Please enjoy. I hope I don't let anyone down. If so then please let me know in the review (that's what it's there for: good or bad).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Her Problem**

"Sakuno, please tell me about you and Mitsuharu-sempai," Tomoka whined.

"Tomo-chan, there's n-nothing to t-tell," Sakuno reported to her best friend.

Two weeks had passed since Riku had lunch with Sakuno. Tomoka, and all the other girls in her class, had been trying to get Sakuno to confess to her and Riku being more than friends. Sakuno tried to explain that they were only friends but no one believed her. Riku wasn't helping either. Whenever she told someone to ask him about the truth, he would only give everyone a small smile and wave off their questions as if he was shy about their relationship. Sakuno was furious when he did this. She seemed to be the only one trying to clear up this whole mess that he started. In fact, she was.

Sakuno tried to go to the other band members for help. She thought that at least they could give her some advice about how to tell everyone what was really going between her and Riku without actually talking about the band. But when she asked for their help, they told her that Riku made them promise not to help her convince anyone of the truth. This made Sakuno even more furious. Sakuno decided to confront Riku herself.

-flashback—

"Riku, come on," Sakuno pleaded.

"No," Riku answered bluntly. "You're on your own."

"You started this whole mess, so you have to help me clean it up."

"It's not as bad as you think. Just tell them we're not together like that."

Sakuno sighed. "They don't believe."

"Well, why not?"

"No clue. Just help me or at least let Hikaru or Hana help me convince everyone."

"One, I will not help you. Two, how are they suppose to help you. What makes them a credible source? And three, this is your chance to be confident. Tell everyone the truth with a loud and clear voice. It's time to leave your shell, little butterfly."

Sakuno thought about what Riku said. For once, he was actually being sincere and reasonable. She just hated that he was right. "You're right. But-"

" 'But' nothing, young grasshopper. You will do as sensei tells you." Riku gave one of his famous smirks. "Now, do you prefer reading manga or watching anime?"

Sakuno turned away from him before they got into another senseless battle.

-end flashback—

"Sakuno, everyone is talking about you two. They say that you're the cutest couple." Tomoka continued to prompt an answer out Sakuno. "Come on you have to admit that his beautiful black hair and gorgeous green eyes make him super sexy."

Sakuno decided to try a different tactic. "Tomo-chan, why don't you believe me? Riku is just a friend."

"Then why did you just call him by his given name without an honorific?" Tomoka smiled believing that she had finally caught Sakuno.

Sakuno mentally hit her forehead. She made sure to say Riku's name with an honorific in front of others. When she was alone with Riku or even if they were with the band, Sakuno called him 'Riku'.

"Ano, it's because we're close friends. He just calls me Sakuno." Sakuno was proud of her answer. She figured if she can convince her best friend of the truth, then Tomoka could confirm it for everyone else.

"Then how come you don't just call me Tomoka or Tomo. You always add the honorific with my name and we've known each other forever." Tomoka paused to think for a second. "How long have you and Mitsuharu-sempai known each other." Tomoka was determined to get to the bottom of this.

"W-We've known each other for a w-while now. We b-became r-real close real fast. And w-well, you're sweet and cute, so I put chan at the end to match you. Okay?" Sakuno hated how she stuttered. She felt like she was lying to her best friend. When Sakuno reflected on what she said she realized that technically she didn't lie, but she was hiding things from Tomoka. Things like her true relationship with Riku.

Sakuno mentally sighed. She wanted to tell her, but she also wanted to surprise her best friend at the dance.

"Right," Tomoka said sarcastically. "So, Sakuno, are you coming to Ryoma-sama's afternoon tennis practice? You haven't come in like forever."

Sakuno thought about it. It was already after school and Sakuno did have some time before band practice. Since Hikaru had a dance committee meeting, they had pushed back the regular rehearsal time. Plus, it had been a while since she had seen the Seigaku tennis team in action in the afternoon.

"Sure, but I can only stay for a little while."

Tomoka smiled and practically dragged her friend to the courts.

* * *

The tennis regulars were beginning to finish their warm-up laps around the court. As they were catching their breath, they heard someone yelling at someone else to hurry up.

"Sakuno, come on!"

"Tomo-chan, I'm coming. Y-You don't have to pull."

Soon the two girls came into view.

"Ah, Sakuno-chan," Eiji called. "It's been so long since you came to our afternoon practice." Eiji pulled Sakuno into a big hug.

"A-Ano, Eiji-sempai, I just saw you this morning," Sakuno replied. "And at lunch." She was starting to have trouble breathing.

"Hey, Eiji let her go," Oishi said. "She can't breathe."

"Oh sorry, Sakuno-chan," Eiji said.

"I-It's okay, Eiji-sempai." Sakuno smiled at her eager sempai.

"So, Sakuno-chan," Momo started, "how have you been? Anything new?"

"Ano, n-nothing has really happened s-since lunch, Momo-sempai."

Fuji looked over at Ryoma. He saw that the boy was acting very uninterested.

_Well, I think we should change that,_ Fuji thought.

"Sakuno-chan," Fuji said, "do you have a date to the upcoming dance?"

All eyes, including Ryoma's, were now on Sakuno. Fuji smiled as he waited for her answer.

"A-Ano, n-no."

"Really? What about Mitsuharu-san?"

"T-There's nothing g-going on b-between us." Sakuno's face began turning red.

Ryoma was happy on the inside. Though he didn't show it, Ryoma was glad to hear that there was nothing going on between Sakuno and the other guy. Ryoma's joy suddenly faded when he heard a voice call out to Sakuno. Everyone turned to see Mitsuharu Riku coming towards them.

"Sakuno, there you are," Riku said as he put his arm around Sakuno's shoulder. Sakuno began to wonder if she would die from embarrassment. "We need to get going."

"Ah, hai, Riku-sempai." Sakuno turned to the regulars. "Bye, sempai."

* * *

Sakuno and Riku made their way to Riku's house. They had been silent for a while. It was a comfortable silence. When they finally reached their destination, Sakuno looked around to see that none of the other band members were there.

"Where is everyone else?" Sakuno asked.

"Don't you remember? We pushed back the time of rehearsal."

"Then, why did you say we needed to get going?"

"Oh that," Riku said. "Well, I thought that you might want to escape all the questioning about having a date to the dance."

"Oh." Sakuno thought it over. Knowing the regulars they would have continued to interrogate her further on the matter of having a date. Riku rescuing her was probably her best bet. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, I have homework to do."

"Me, too."

"Then let's get started."

Sakuno and Riku walked towards the living room. They got their books out to begin their homework. As Sakuno began her first assignment, she hears the TV come on.

"What are you doing?" Sakuno asked with slight irritation in her voice.

"My homework," Riku answered bluntly.

"Why is the television on?"

"That's how I do my homework. If you have entertainment, the time and boredom passes a lot quicker."

"It's too distracting."

"Just try it."

"Fine."

Sakuno actually liked having the TV on while she did her homework. She would work on her assignment. Then when she got frustrated, she would watch whatever was on the screen. After watching TV for a few minutes, she would go back to the problem and be able to get it better.

Riku and Sakuno continued to work on their homework. They decided to take a break some minutes before the others were to show up.

"I can't believe watching TV actually helped me with my homework."

Riku smiled. "How do you think I became so smart?"

Sakuno began to laugh. Riku soon joined in with the laughter. But once he heard a song coming from the TV, he got Sakuno's attention and told her to watch.

They began to watch a music video of a band.

"Look at how they move," Riku said. "We definitely need to come up with something before we go on stage at the dance."

"Yeah." As Sakuno watched the lead singer move, she couldn't agree more. "But what should we do?"

"I don't know. First, let's see what you got."

"Huh?"

"Get up and dance."

"No," Sakuno said bluntly.

"Yes," Riku responded just as bluntly. "Here I'll dance with you."

"No."

"Yes."

"Riku."

"Sakuno."

The two friends stared each other down. Eventually Sakuno gave in.

She sighed. "Fine."

They got up and began to dance. They were having so much fun they continued through the next song. They actually didn't stop until they heard someone clear their throat. They turned around to see the other band members standing there. Hikaru looked amused. Hana looked confused. And Ran looked completely shocked.

"Dude, what are you two doing?" Ran asked being the first to speak.

"Umm, dancing," Riku answered.

"I don't think that was dancing," Hikaru reported.

"More like jumping without rhythm," Hana added.

"Haha," Riku said. "Very funny."

"Seriously," Sakuno spoke up, "we were trying to figure out what to do on stage at the dance."

"Oh," Hana, Hikaru, and Ran said at the same time.

"That makes sense," Hikaru said. "Here how about this. Today at practice, Sakuno, Riku, and Hana move to the music and we'll go from there."

"Why just us?"

"Because I'm on drums and can't do much from there. And I guess Ran could try to move around a little, but I think we should try and keep it simple for now. Let's just have our lead singer and two guitarists move around the stage."

"Makes sense to me," Ran said. "Let's do it."

"Okay," Sakuno, Hana, and Riku responded.

* * *

Ryoma plopped down onto his bed after getting home from tennis practice. He couldn't get out of his head how that Mitsuharu guy just swooped right in and took Sakuno away. It was obvious now that he was the reason Sakuno didn't come to watch the tennis practice in the afternoon. Ryoma really wanted to grab her and not let her go with the older boy. But his pride was too great to let him. Ryoma didn't know what to do. Maybe there really something going on with Sakuno and that other guy. If so how should he react? Ryoma wanted Sakuno. He knew that much. He also knew that he was very proud. He wondered if pride would get in the way of having Sakuno. As it stood, it was. Ryoma didn't know if he could overcome his pride so that he can be with Sakuno. Ryoma let out a frustrated noise.

Suddenly, Ryoma felt something weighing down on his stomach. He looked to see his cat Karupin sitting on his stomach. Ryoma felt calmer, but he was still worried. In the back of his mind, Ryoma knew he didn't have a lot of time.

Ryoma sighed. He decided to sleep on the situation at hand only to find out that he couldn't sleep.

_Maybe there is a way,_ Ryoma thought. _And I just have to figure it out._


	6. Their Outing

**A/N: Hey minna-san! The sixth chapter is finally up. Just to let you all know, the original Chapter 6 is definitely different. I hope you guys like this version, because it maybe my favorite. If the ending of the chapter seems rushed sorry. I'll try to make it up to those of you that think so in the next chapter. Please remeber to review (it keeps me going).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Their Outing **

Ryoma slowly woke up from his deep sleep. He rolled over to check the time, only to realize that he was almost a half hour late. Ryoma groaned when he saw he never set his alarm. He jumped out of his bed and rushed into the bathroom to get ready for school. Once he had showered and gotten dressed, Ryoma ran down the stairs wondering why no one had woken him.

"Oi, okaa-san," Ryoma said as he entered the kitchen. "Why didn't you…?" Ryoma looked around to see the kitchen was vacant. "Okaa-san! Okaa-san! Nanako! Oi, oyagi!" Ryoma looked around his house, but there was no one there. He went back to the kitchen to try and find a note, but he couldn't find one.

_Where was everyone,_ Ryoma thought. Suddenly, he heard a chime. He turned his attention to the clock hanging on the wall. He sighed. He was now forty-five minutes late. Ryoma decided to head to school. He grabbed an apple, a Ponta, and his tennis bag, and made his way out the door.

After making sure the door was locked, Ryoma turned around to see a shocking sight. Ryuzaki Sakuno was standing in the entrance of the Echizen's gate. She was wearing a white dress that came all the way down to her feet with long sleeves that covered her hands. It was the type of dress that would flow in the wind. In addition to the dress, Sakuno had a white flower in her auburn hair. All in all, Sakuno looked like a radiant angel.

Ryoma stared at the glorious manifestation facing him. Sakuno was absolutely gorgeous. It took Ryoma a moment to recognize the weirdness of the sight in front of him. Why was Sakuno in front of his house? And, why was she dressed like that instead of in her school uniform? It just didn't make sense.

"Ryuzaki?" Ryoma said taking a step towards the girl.

Sakuno blew Ryoma a kiss and smiled at him before turning around and running away.

"Wait, Ryuzaki!" Ryoma began to run after her. "Oi, Ryuzaki!" Ryoma continued to chase Sakuno. He soon realized that she was heading for their school. A few more minutes passed before Sakuno turned into the school gates. Ryoma soon followed, only to stop when he found the place deserted. Ryoma knew that he was late, but he should have only missed morning tennis practice. Ryoma cautiously walked up to the school. Everything seemed still and silent. There was not a soul around and there wasn't a single sound. No birds chirped. No wind blew. There was nothing. Ryoma spun around and walked back towards the gate. Ryoma's eyes widened when he saw the street was barren. He didn't a single person walking on the sidewalk. He didn't even see a car. Ryoma began making his way back up to the school. He looked up to see Sakuno standing in the doorway of the school smiling. Just as she did earlier, Sakuno turned and began to run.

Automatically, Ryoma began to chase after her. He constantly called out to her as they ran through the halls in the school. Ryoma constantly observed that the whole school was abandoned. Ryoma and Sakuno continued to race through the whole school. They made their back to the entrance of the school. Ryoma stopped when he saw who was waiting at the gate. Mitsuharu Riku.

Sakuno stopped running and began to skip to Riku. Once she reached her destination, Sakuno glanced back at Ryoma and giggled. Then, she turned back to Riku giving him all her attention. The two joined hands and walked out of the courtyard.

Ryoma was frozen. He wanted to stop Sakuno, but he couldn't move. Ryoma was even having trouble calling out to Sakuno. Soon she was out of his sight. Sakuno had left with Riku. Ryoma was starting to panic. What was going on? Sakuno shouldn't have gone with Riku. Ryoma closed his eyes in hopes that Sakuno would appear in front of him as she had before. When Ryoma opened his eyes, he was back in his room.

_A dream,_ Ryoma thought. _It was all a dream._ Ryoma sighed.

He heard a knock at his door then his mother's voice soon followed. "Ryoma, get up or you'll be late for school."

"Hai," Ryoma answered slowly getting up.

* * *

The dream kept repeating in Ryoma's mind. Especially now, that he was sitting across from the girl who starred in the dream. He couldn't figure out what it meant. And he hated how the dream was all he could think about.

"Ano, R-Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said. "A-Are you all r-right? You k-keep sighing."

"I'm fine."

"O-Okay."

Sakuno didn't know what else to say. There appeared to be something bothering him but she didn't know what it was and knowing Ryoma he wouldn't tell her or anyone else about his problem. Sakuno decided to leave it alone and finish eating her lunch. However, she was interrupted by the older tennis regulars.

"Hey guys," Momo said.

"Hi, sempai-tachi," Tomoka responded for everyone.

"Nya, Sakuno-chan, your lunch looks so good," Eiji stated.

"Ah, arigato, Eiji-sempai," Sakuno replied.

"We were wondering if you all would like to join us tomorrow," Fuji said.

"What's tomorrow?" Tomoka asked.

"Well since tomorrow is our day off, we decided to hang out. Maybe go to the movies or go bowling."

"No," Ryoma stated bluntly.

"You don't have a choice, Echizen," Tezuka spoke up. "If I have to go so do you."

"Che."

"What about the rest of you?" Momo asked.

"We're in," Horio said while gesturing to Kachiro and Katsuo who were nodding in agreement.

"Sorry, sempai, but I can't," Tomoka replied sadly. "I have to babysit my brothers."

"That's too bad," Fuji said. "What about you Ryuzaki-chan?"

"Ano, I-I can't. I already made plans."

"Really?" Tomoka asked. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'm shopping for my dress for the dance," Sakuno announced. Which was true. She just left out the part where Riku and the rest of the band were going with her. Hikaru thought it would be good to go out and relax. Normally, the band practiced after school, and on days they were out of school, they wouldn't practice. But since the dance was a couple of weeks away, Hikaru thought that shopping with everyone would be a great escape.

"Oh, I thought we would go together," Tomoka reported.

"Sorry, Tomo-chan. I just want my dress to be a surprise."

"It's okay."

"Nya, it's too bad that you can't join us," Eiji said.

"Saa, maybe another time," Fuji said.

"Of course, sempai," Tomoka and Sakuno said together.

* * *

Sakuno heard a knock at her front door. She opened the door to reveal a smiling Riku.

"Hey," Riku greeted.

"Hi," Sakuno said.

The two friends look each other up and down. This was actually there first time seeing the other in something other than their school uniform. Sakuno was wearing a pink skirt that stopped at her knees. She also had on a nice white shirt with a pink short-sleeved sweater that came to her waist. And to complete the outfit, Sakuno was wearing white flats. Riku, on the other hand, was wearing a green button-up collared shirt open with a white T-shirt underneath and some very dark jeans. In addition, he had on some white tennis shoes.

"So, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Sakuno said. "Hold on a second." Sakuno went back into her house to bid her grandmother good-bye. "I'm going now, obaa-chan."

"Okay. Do you have your money?" Sumire asked her granddaughter.

"Hai."

"Alright, have fun."

"I will." Sakuno went back to the front door to join Riku. "So, Riku, what's the plan for today?"

"Well, you and I are going to meet Hikaru, Hana, and Ran at the mall. We're supposed to shop there and possibly at a few more stores. Then after we finish with that boring stuff, we'll be going to Hana's house for dinner."

"Shopping is not boring."

"Yeah, right," Riku retorted sarcastically.

Riku and Sakuno were quiet as they made their way to the train station. Riku kept glancing at Sakuno and shaking his head at her. Sakuno saw when he did this every time. Once they reached the train station, she finally addressed the issue.

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"What?" Riku asked with a confused face.

"You glance at me then you shake your head. Why?"

"Because of what you're wearing," he answered simply.

"Explain."

"Your outfit is…predictable."

"Again, explain."

Riku sighed. "Your ensemble matches your shy and quiet personality. You reek of the 'sugar, spice, and everything nice' thing. The only problem is that your spice is a little weak."

"That's not true."

"Which part?"

"All of it."

"It is all very much true." The train had finally arrived and they went on board. It wasn't crowded, but there were no seats left, so they had to stand. "Let me prove it. Um, which Powerpuff Girl is your favorite?"

"Bubbles, why?"

"Predictable."

"No, it's not. You didn't know which one I was going to choose."

"Buttercup is too aggressive for her to be your favorite. Blossom is nice, but she's too bossy and a bit too confident for your taste. And then we have the cute and adorable Bubbles. You, little butterfly, can relate to her the best, especially with these." Riku tugged on one of Sakuno's long pigtails. Riku gave Sakuno his signature smirk.

Sakuno was at a lost as to what to say to his explanation. "Why do you always use cartoons?"

"Because cartoons are universal, young grasshopper."

"You're so weird."

A few minutes later, the train reached their destination. Riku and Sakuno made their way to the mall where they were supposed to meet the other band members. Everyone decided to stop at food court to eat something since it was lunch time. Once everyone had some food, they found a table that would fit all of them.

"So, let's get a game plan for the dance," Hikaru said.

"What do you mean?" Ran asked.

"We need to decide if we're going on stage in our outfits we wore to the dance, or should we change at the dance before we go on."

"What? We're not supposed to do any work. What happened to relaxing?"

"Ran, quit whining. This is just a minor detail. So what should we do?"

"I vote we go on stage as we are," Ran voted.

"So do I," Riku added.

"Well I think we should change," Hikaru said. "At least I should. I can't play the drums while wearing a dress and heels."

"I agree," Hana said. "Hikaru shouldn't be the only one to change, either."

"Well then it's up to Sakuno," Hikaru said.

"I say we change," Sakuno voted.

"What?" Ran exclaimed. "Why?"

"I don't want to wear my dress on stage. Plus it'll be hard for me to move around the stage in heels."

"I know what we can change into," Hana said. "And don't worry boys, I'm all for compromise. Ran and Riku will already be ties and jackets. When we go on, they'll just take off the jackets. Hikaru and I will change into some black shorts, white shirts, and black vests. And finally for Sakuno, she'll wear a white shirt, a short black skirt, and black suspenders."

"That might work," Hikaru said.

"I like it," Ran said. "Now I don't have to change."

"You came up with that pretty quickly," Sakuno reported.

"Oh, yeah, you don't know," Riku said.

"Know what?"

"Hana's going to be a stylist one day."

"Really?"

"Yeah I am," Hana said. "It's my life goal. But my goal right now is to make it to the sale that's going to end in like a hour."

"You guys should go ahead," Riku suggested. "Sakuno and I are the only ones still eating. When we finish, we'll catch up with you guys."

"Okay." Hana grabbed her best friend's and her boyfriend's hands and pulled them out of the food court.

"I didn't know that about Hana," Sakuno stated.

"Yeah, she's not the only one."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Ran wants to be a professional musician. He plays several instruments. Hikaru wants to work in showbiz. She wants to be the president of an entertainment agency or something."

"Wow."

* * *

"Nya, laser tag at the mall was a great idea, Momo," Eiji exclaimed

"Thanks, Eiji-sempai," Momo said.

"But is it safe?" Oishi asked with worry in his eyes.

"Of course. You actually don't feel anything. Oishi-sempai, you've never done this before?"

"No."

"Don't worry Oishi," Fuji added. "It's a lot of fun. Basically you try to get the most points by tagging your opponents the most. You never even get out."

"Okay, it does sound fun."

"That's the spirit," Eiji said practically jumping on his tennis partner.

"And with my year of laser tag experience, I'll get the most points," Horio bragged. Kachiro and Katsuo just rolled their eyes at their companion.

"It's interesting that you should say that," Inui said. "The loser, with the least amount of points, will have to try my new creation." He held up a canteen. The others looked sick already.

"Now it's on," Momo said. He was getting a little too excited and accidently bumped Kaidoh.

"Fsshh, watch it, porcupine head," Kaidoh glared at Momoshiro.

"Well you shouldn't have been standing there, viper."

Momo and Kaidoh glared daggers at each other.

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Kawamura said. "But isn't that Ryuzaki-chan with Mitsuharu-san.

Everyone turned to where Kawamura was looking to see that Sakuno and Riku sitting at a table in the food court. They seemed to be deep in conversation.

"It would seem that they are on a date," Fuji said while looking at Ryoma.

As they continued to watch Sakuno and Riku, the nosy group of boys, with the exception of Tezuka, didn't go unnoticed.

"Sakuno, we have a problem."

"What?"

"Don't move your head. Look out of the corner of your eyes to the right."

Sakuno did what she was told. When she saw the regulars looking at them, she was definitely shocked. Sakuno looked back at Riku. "What do we do?"

"Act natural. On the count of three, we'll get up and go the other way. If they're persistent and try to follow us, we'll lose them somewhere in the mall. Okay?"

"Okay." Sakuno took a deep breath. "One."

"Two."

"Three."

Riku and Sakuno casually got up from their seats. They began making their way deeper into the mall. When the tennis regulars saw this some of them began to follow. Tezuka decided to stay in the food court with Kachiro, Katsuo, Kaidoh, and Kawamura. Oishi, though he was opposed to spying, wanted to make sure that Sakuno was safe with Riku. Inui wanted to 'observe' the two. Eiji, Momo, Fuji, and Horio were just plain nosy. Ryoma wanted to see what Riku wanted with Sakuno. He hated the fact that it looked like they were on a date, so he just wanted to prove that they weren't.

Sakuno and Riku weaved in and out of other mall goers. It took them while but they finally lost the Seigaku tennis team. They decided to find an exit to the mall. Once they were outside they called the rest of the band. It was settled that Sakuno and Riku would go to some other stores to find something to wear to the dance and on stage. However, they had to send pictures to Hana before they bought anything. Once everyone was finished they would all meet back at Hana's house for dinner.

When the regulars lost track of Riku and Sakuno, Ryoma remembered that this was how his dream ended. Sakuno had once again gone off with Riku. But this time it wasn't a dream.

* * *

"I'm so full," Ran groaned.

"It was so good," Riku stated. "I want more, but I'm afraid if I eat anymore I'll explode."

The band was now finished with the dinner they had at Hana's house. It was quite a large spread of food that was laid out for them.

The three girls laughed at the two boys who were now suffering the consequences of how much food they inhaled.

"So what should we do now?" Hikaru asked.

"I could put in a movie while we digest our food," Hana suggested.

"Cool."

"Hey, Sakuno you pretty silent over there," Riku observed.

It was true. For most the evening, Sakuno had been deep in thought. Finally she voiced what was on her mind.

"I was just wondering," Sakuno began, "what's our band's name?"


	7. Her Performance

**A/N: Okay, minna-san, this was an interesting chapter for me to write. I hope that you enjoy it. There was someone that didn't like Riku so he's not in this chapter much. I'm very glad you told me whoever you are. That's the type of reviews I look for. Critical. To everyone else thank you for all your kind words. I'm sorry that it took so long to finish this chapter. In truth I didn't like it, and I still don't to a certain extent. I probably only have one, maybe two chapters left in me then I'm moving on. There will possibly be a short sequel. Who knows? Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough (if you actually read this I have. everyone else has probably already started reading.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Her Performance**

Sakuno opened her eyes only to quickly shut them again. After a few moments she opened her eyes again. She had to blink a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the light coming through her window. Sakuno turned over to see what time her alarm clock had. It was 8:30 AM. Today was everyone's day off from school, and it was also the day of the dance. Sakuno began to think of the events that today held for her. She would get ready for the dance, she would arrive at the dance with Tomoka, and at some point during the dance she would go on stage with the band to perform for the first time.

The feeling in her stomach was not that of fear and dread, but of pure excitement. Sakuno finally sat up and smiled. Today was her day. Today she would shine. Today she would show a side of her that no one, other than her band mates, had seen. Sakuno knew that tonight would definitely be a turning point in her life.

She took a deep breath. It had been a long two weeks leading up to this day.

First, having her sempai seeing her with Riku at the mall was horrible. When she showed up to the morning tennis practice, she was bombarded with questions about her "date" with Riku. Sakuno had tried her best to diffuse the situation. She told everyone that she wasn't going out with Riku, and that they were just friends. Fortunately, she controlled her stuttering to a certain extent. She finally persuaded them that she couldn't be going out with Riku because her grandmother would know seeing as how she lived with her grandmother and she worked at the school they attended. Her interrogators had to give her that one. Nothing could pass by the strict older Ryuzaki. But they didn't give up easily. Sakuno had been flooded with questions about why she was at the mall with Riku. Luckily, Sakuno only confirmed what she told them what she would be doing, looking for her dress for the dance. It just so happened that Riku was her judge seeing as she wanted to surprise her closest friends on the night of the dance. The regulars didn't know where to go from there. Their questions finally ceased, and Tezuka made them run laps for wasting time.

Secondly, the band being nameless had caused a slight uproar amongst them. The realization that they had over looked something so important was indeed shocking. They decided to come up with a name that week. So it was decided that they would all give it some thought and after a week decide on a name. Riku and Ran wanted to make sure that the name wouldn't be to girly seeing as how majority of the band were females. Hikaru also wanted to make sure that the name would be appropriate for the music they played. After a little more discussion, the conditions for the band name had been set. However, after a week no one really had a great name for the band. Everyone tried to brainstorm together. Hikaru wanted something fitting, Ran wanted something cool, Hana wanted something memorable, Riku wanted something unique, and Sakuno wanted something that stood for them. The problem was how to fit it all together. In the end after much arguing they decided on 'Shinobi-sama and the Kamikaze.'

The name was chosen because it had everything that everyone wanted. It wasn't too soft or too tough. It had a pretty cool ring to it. The name was both memorable and unique. And it stood for something. The "shinobi" part wasn't defined. Anyone of them could have been the shinobi. And the "kamikaze" part stood for the band as a whole and how they wanted to affect people. Everyone agreed that the name would do for now and they could definitely change it later.

Other than that, Sakuno and the others had been working to get ready for the dance. They rehearsed the songs and the moves for their first gig. Hikaru decided it was in the best interest to take a few days break, so their last practice was three days ago. However, they did have a short meeting planning out how everything would go down at the dance. Hana had everyone's (well the girls', at least) outfits for the performance. The DJ would give two signals. The first would be when they needed to change clothes and get ready to go on stage and the second would be when they were needed on stage. Riku and Ran would get to the school where the dance would be held to set up the instruments and do the sound checks. Hikaru would also be there to oversee while helping the dance committee put up decorations for the dance. Sakuno had to go and get the flyers for the band. They wanted to use this opportunity to get the word out, but not seem desperate. So it was determined that they would have a few flyers to hand out just in case someone wanted more info about them or if they wanted them for a gig for a party.

Everyone had their part and was eagerly awaiting the big dance.

* * *

When Ryoma woke up this morning he felt a slight pressure on his back. He lifted and turned his head to see Karupin lying on his back. He reached back to stroke Karupin.

Once he heard a quiet purr from his cat, he told his cat to get off.

"Oi, Karupin, get off."

Seeming to understand, Karupin jumped off Ryoma and landed onto the floor. Ryoma sat up. He looked at the calendar. Today was the day of the dance.

At first he really didn't want to go. Girls kept coming up to him asking him to escort them to dance. Only they weren't that nice about it. In Ryoma's eyes they all needed to be placed in solitary in some insane asylum far away from him. As the date of the "big dance" got closer the more eager the girls were. It seemed that if asking Ryoma wasn't enough they had to grab onto him like they would never let go. Some girls just got on their knees and begged him to take them only to have the prince of tennis walk pass them completely. Other girls continued to ask him even though they already had dates to take them- many of the boys were the boyfriends of the girls. These girls made life even more troubling because they caused jealousy to arise which in turn made their boyfriends confront Ryoma. Not that they were a real challenge to the tennis star, but they were a major pain for him to deal with. After being harassed for weeks Ryoma decided that not going to the dance was in his best interest.

There was only one flaw in his plan that he didn't see coming. He told Momo that he wasn't going. So Momoshiro took it upon himself to tell Ryoma's mother. When Rinko found out that her son was not attending the dance, she determined that he would indeed attend the event- whether he wanted to or not.

However now he was glad that his mom was making him go. Otherwise, Ryoma would have had to come up with an excuse as to why he changed his mind about the dance. And he very well couldn't tell anyone the truth. And the truth was that he was going because of Sakuno. Ryoma wasn't for sure as to why he needed to be there, but he did know that Sakuno was his reasoning. After the dream he had of Sakuno and having the dream come to pass, Ryoma wanted to make sure that she really wasn't with Mitsuharu.

Sure Sakuno had denied being more than friends with Riku since the beginning. She even did a good job getting the regulars off her back about it the other week. But Ryoma couldn't take the chance. He witnessed the bond between Sakuno and Riku first hand in the hallway that day after he tried to have lunch with her. Even then she left him sitting with the other first years to go sit with her beloved sempai. Riku made her show a side that no one had ever seen, including her best friend. She laughed with Riku. She talked to him without stuttering. She was her true self when she was with him, and Ryoma couldn't stand it.

Ryoma wanted to separate them. He wanted to sever any relations they had with each other. Ryoma acknowledged that he was jealous. He was jealous just like the boyfriends of those annoying girls. Still, there was a difference between Ryoma and the other guys. The annoying girls belonged to their boyfriends, but Sakuno didn't belong to Ryoma. She could do whatever she wanted. It was her choice, and there was nothing Ryoma could do about it.

That's why he needed to be at the dance. He needed to make Sakuno his and only his. Ryoma smiled. The realization of his whole situation suddenly hit him. This is why he needed to go to the dance. Tonight was his chance to make Sakuno belong to him.

Ryoma finished getting dressed and then headed downstairs to challenge his father to a match. The way he felt right now, he could beat his father a hundred times over.

* * *

After a long game, Ryoma headed back inside his house. He was slightly peeved because his dad still beat him and even threw a "Mada mada dane" at him. Nonetheless, he was still a little happy.

"Oh good, Ryoma," Rinko said as she watched her son enter the kitchen. He went straight to the refrigerator to grab himself a Ponta. "You're finished with your game. Go on and take a shower. It'll be time for you to leave for the dance soon."

"Hai," Ryoma answered lazily.

"I'll have your outfit ready for you when you get out of the bathroom."

"Hai."

"I also have a little surprise for you."

"What?"

"It's a secret. Now go get cleaned up."

Ryoma did as he was told. He went upstairs and took a shower. The water felt so good against his skin, he stayed in the shower a little longer than necessary. Once he finished, Ryoma dried off, adjusted the towel around his waist, and walked across the hall to his own room. When Ryoma closed the door behind him, he saw what his mother picked out for him to wear hanging from the hook on his door. It was a simple white-cuffed shirt, black slacks with a crease in the pants legs, and a plain black tie. It wasn't too formal (for his sake) and it wasn't too casual (for his mom's sake).

Ryoma quickly got dressed. He found some black socks in of his drawers. He looked for his hardly worn dress shoes. Once he found them in the very back of his closet, he saw that he had to wipe them off. As soon as Ryoma finished tying the laces, his mother called him downstairs.

Ryoma made his way into the living room only to his sempai looking back at him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ryoma asked. Before any of them could answer, his mother spoke up.

"This is your surprise. They're here to make sure you actually go to the dance."

"All of them?" Ryoma could understand why his mother would insist that someone goes with him to make sure he really attends the dance. She still thought that she was forcing her son to go to the dance.

"Well in truth, I had only planned for Momoshiro-san to go with you."

Ryoma turned to Momo silently asking why he brought the rest of the regulars.

Momo scratched his neck as he explained. "Well, I told Kikumaru-sempai, and he told everyone else. One thing lead to another and here we all are."

"Hn," was the only response he received.

"Nya, come on, Ochibi," Eiji said putting Ryoma into a headlock. "This will be fun."

"Yeah, brat," his father said to walking into the room. "Go and have fun. And while you're there grab yourself a girlfriend. I'm beginning to wonder if you're really my son. All you do is play tennis and hang with these guys." Nanjiro pointed towards the regulars who were standing awkwardly in the Echizen living room.

Ryoma sent a glare his father's way. Seeing this Nanjiro smiled. Ryoma thought for a second before a smirk graced his lips. Nanjiro became slightly nervous.

"Okaa-san."

"Yes, Ryoma?"

"Before I go, I think there's something you should see." Ryoma walked over to the ottoman in the corner and opened the lid. His intuition was right. A couple days ago, Ryoma saw his father hide one of his little magazines in the ottoman when Rinko arrived home early from work. Ryoma suspected that his father had forgotten all about it because of the many others hidden all around the house.

Rinko peered in to see what Ryoma wanted to show her. She began to grow angrier by the second.

"Nanjiro," Rinko said so quietly but with so much anger her husband flinched.

"Let's go," Ryoma said to his teammates. Everyone made their way outside. On his way out, Ryoma whispered to his father, "Mada mada dane, baka Oyaji."

Ryoma closed the front door on the fight that was about to ensue. And with that, they headed to their school for the dance.

* * *

When the regulars arrived at the dance they looked around at the gym's transformation. All in all the dance committee had done a wonderful job. The students barely recognized their musty-smelling gymnasium.

"Ah, look there's coach," Momo said.

Everyone looked to see their tennis coach standing by the snack table. She was watching all the students because the only reason she was there to chaperone. Plus Sakuno needed her to hand over the flyers she had picked up earlier that day to Hikaru. Sakuno wanted to make sure that her appearance on stage was a complete surprise. If she gave Hikaru the flyers herself, Sakuno might have exposed her little secret.

The regulars walked over to Sumire. Momo and Eiji just wanted to get to the food.

"Good evening, Ryuzaki-sensei," Oishi said as they approached the table.

"Good evening to all of you," Sumire responded. "You all clean up pretty nice."

All the regulars muttered their thanks. Like Ryoma most of the older regulars just wore the shirt, tie, and pants, but a couple of them had on a jacket to match. It was the same with all the boys at the dance. All the girls, on the other hand, dress up for the occasion. None of them were in poofy, princess dresses, but they all were in beautiful dresses.

"Ryuzaki-sensei," Fuji said. "Where's Sakuno-chan?"

"Oh, she's right over there," Sumire noted as she nodded towards the dance floor. Indeed Sakuno was dancing on the dance floor. She didn't have a partner. Sakuno, Tomoka, Horio, Kachiro, and Katsuo were basically dancing with each other in the same general area. It looked as if the first years were having the time of their life.

Sakuno was wearing a beautiful teal spaghetti strap dress (**A/N: the link for the dress is on my profile**). She had on one inch heels that matched. Her hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, but her bangs still caressed her forehead. Sakuno was the image of elegance and beauty. Ryoma stared full on at the girl. He didn't even care who saw him staring. His teammates noticed that he couldn't stop looking in the direction of the dance floor. Everyone followed Ryoma's gaze to see what he was staring at. Soon they too were in the same trance that their ochibi was in. No one could believe that was Sakuno, the tennis coach's shy granddaughter. The person they saw was no girl, but a young lady.

"You all she go ahead and enjoy yourselves," Sumire said before she walked off to observe the students from another location.

Momoshiro and Kikumaru finished filling their plates before walking off with the others to find a table. Once they were settled, the regulars started to enjoy the scene around them. Every once in a while a girl would come up and ask for a dance. Most of the boys complied with the requests. Only Ryoma and Tezuka refused every offer. Ryoma wondered why Tezuka refrained from dancing. Ryoma ignored all the girls because they weren't the one he wanted to dance with. The one he wanted was still dancing with her best friend.

After another song, Sakuno realized that it was time for a break. Sakuno didn't think it would be a good idea to wear herself out before she went on stage. And what a stage it was.

The dance committee had to put a stage together. They put lights all around the stage to give it a sort of ambiance. Riku and Ran had had already set up Hikaru's drum set, Ran's keyboard, the guitars, and the microphones. Everything was ready to go. Riku had pulled Sakuno aside to tell her that they were ready to go. He told her where she should head to change clothes. Hikaru set up the stage so that it was in front of the girls' locker room which had a back entrance. Sakuno was to make her way to the back entrance and change in the locker room. There was another bathroom for the girls to use if the needed it. Riku also told Sakuno that when the DJ changes over to a slow song, that she should head back and change. If she can't get away by herself, he'll appear and help her sneak away from her friends. Sakuno prayed that everything would go as planned.

Tomoka pulled Sakuno towards the regulars table. Everyone exchanged greetings with the two girls.

"Saa, Sakuno-chan," Fuji said while discreetly glancing at Ryoma from the corner of his eye.

"Hai, Fuji-sempai?" Sakuno responded.

"I just wanted to tell you that you are a vision of beauty tonight," Fuji said with a smile on his face. Fuji could feel the deathly glare coming from the direction of the prince of tennis.

"Ah, arigato, Fuji-sempai."

"Nya, Fuji is right, Sakuno-chan," Eiji added. "Both you and Osakada-chan are very beautiful." The older regulars all nodded in agreement. Ryoma had finally stopped glaring at Fuji. His glare now landed on Eiji.

_Why is everyone checking out Ryuzaki? _Ryoma thought. His jealousy meter was rising every minute. Ryoma knew that he would have to find a way to talk with Sakuno before anything went wrong.

The girls sat down at the large round table the regulars had chosen. One by one the regulars returned from the dance floor. Soon even Horio, Kachiro, and Katsuo joined them. Everyone enjoyed themselves. The friends laughed, danced, and enjoyed the festivities. Ryoma even settled down and enjoyed himself. He especially liked watching his sempai actions when girls came over and talked with them.

Momoshiro was eating like a pig, but he still was asked to dance by many girls. Kaidoh was quite the looker from a distance, but once the girls got close they saw that Kaidoh looked as if he was mad at the world. When the girls got close enough to see him many of them turned back around, but there were a few that were brave enough to approach Kaidoh. Anyone who approached Inui either ran away when he offered them one of his concoctions or when he started reading off all the data he had on said person. Kawamura and Oishi were just shy with the girls. Kikumaru was too loud with the girls. Fuji was just Fuji. He was so nice with everyone, but you had to wonder if he had ulterior motives hidden when he serenaded the girls around him. Tezuka was his usual stoic self, but he made sure to be polite to everyone who tried to talk to him. Ryoma ignored all the annoying girls that would appear in front of him. At the moment Ryoma was only interested in the girl sitting across from him.

Later on in the evening Ryoma felt a nudge in his side. He looked to see Momo looking at him.

"Oi, Echizen, I think a slow song is coming up next," Momo said with a smile. Ryoma just looked at him. Momo just rolled his eyes. "Ask Sakuno-chan to dance."

Ryoma turned back to Sakuno. He knew that he only had a few hours until the evening came to a close. And sure enough, the next song was a slow song. The dance floor crowd decreased a little because of the students without dates went to sit down; allowing the couples to dance romantically with their significant others. Now would be the perfect time for Ryoma to make his move.

Sakuno's eyes widened slightly as she realized that it was time for her to get ready to go on stage. The problem was that she didn't know how to get away from her friends. Sakuno needed help. Sakuno discreetly looked around the room for someone to help her. She thought of using the "I need to freshen up" excuse, but the available restroom was in the opposite direction of the locker room. And she couldn't say that she was going to dance, and then hide herself in the crowd and sneak away. Sakuno was at an impasse.

Ryoma saw that Sakuno was trying to secretly look around. Was she hoping someone would ask her to dance? Maybe this really was his chance. If he could dance with her, he could possibly get her out of the room and talk with her.

"Ryuza-" Ryoma began only to be cut off by the one person he didn't want to see.

"Ah, Sakuno," Riku said as he arrived at their table. "Would you do me the honor of allowing me to dance with you?"

"Hai," Sakuno answered without hesitation. Sakuno placed her hand in his, and walked towards the dance floor.

Everyone was in shock. Sakuno and Riku were dancing together. They watched as Riku twirled Sakuno into the crowd. They watched until they couldn't see them anymore.

Sakuno had to thank Riku. He strategically moved rhythmically through the couples on the dance floor until there was an opening that Sakuno could pass through so that she could get to the girls' locker room. When she arrived, Sakuno saw that Hana and Hikaru were already changing. Hana pointed out where Sakuno's clothes were. Sakuno went into action. She changed her clothes, she let down her hair, and went out to join the rest of the band who were waiting on the side of the stage for their cue. Suddenly, Sakuno was afraid. Why was she feeling this way? All day today she was having trouble containing her excitement, and now she feared the stage that she was supposed to walk onto in a matter of minutes.

Riku looked back to see a trembling Sakuno. Riku grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the others.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Riku, I don't think I can do this."

"Sakuno, what are you talking about?"

"Going on stage and singing. I'm just the shy girl that no one notices. I'm not a lead singer in a band."

"Have you lost all your senses? Sakuno you are not that shy girl anymore. You stood up to your sempai. You told them that we weren't dating and they believed you. You came out of your shell. For the past couple of months you have been a lead singer in a band. You're a great lead singer. Sakuno, you have absolutely nothing to fear. We're all in this together, and we'll be behind you the whole time."

"What if they don't like me?" Sakuno asked uncertainly.

"So what? Do this for yourself. If they happen to not like us, we'll try and try again. This is our first gig as a band, it's okay if you forget the words or I mess up the notes I'm supposed to play. We are here to gain a little experience."

Sakuno looked into his face. There wasn't a hint of joking in his expression. He only had sincerity.

"Okay," Sakuno said with one of her brilliant smiles. "I'm ready."

Ryoma was furious. How dare that Mitsuharu guy come and take Sakuno away? Everyone near Ryoma could practically see the dark aura pour out of him. Ryoma sat sulking at his predicament. Anyone one who tried talking to him was shot with one of his deadliest glares. Ryoma didn't even hear when the DJ said that he'll be taking a break, and that in his place a brand new would be playing a set. Ryoma felt someone shake him. His eyes found the culprit to be Eiji.

Eiji could almost feel the daggers the prince was throwing at him, but he stood strong. "L-Look, Ochibi," Eiji said pointing to the stage.

Ryoma slowly turned his head to see what was on the stage that was so important. Ryoma's jaw dropped. Sakuno was standing up at the microphone. She was in a totally different outfit and her hair was let down. Behind her there was two girls and two guys taking their place at some instruments. Ryoma's eyes widened when he realized that one of the boys was the one and only Mitsuharu Riku.

Sakuno took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. Everything they had worked hard for was leading up to this moment. She waited for the music to start. The audience was staring at her. Those who knew her looked like they were a deer caught in headlights. Soon the rest of her band was in place and the music had begun.

(**A/N: Okay, minna-san, please bear with me on the song. Italics are the lyrics. Bold is what is going on. Well here goes nothing.**)

**Sakuno put one hand on the mic and the other on the microphone stand.** **Sakuno opened her mouth and started to sing.**

_How you choose to express yourself  
It's all your own and I can tell  
It comes naturally, it comes naturally  
_

**Sakuno started a little slow. She took her hands off the mic and stand, and placed them on her chest.**

_You follow what you feel inside  
It's intuitive, you don't have to try  
It comes naturally, mmmm it comes naturally  
_

**Once again she placed a hand on the mic and the other on the stand.**

_And it takes my breath away  
What you do, so naturally  
_

**Sakuno glanced back at Riku who nodded at her. She didn't know why but it gave her the confidence boost she needed. She took the microphone off the stand and showed everyone what she had.**

_You are the thunder and I am the lightening  
And I love the way you know who you are  
And to me it's exciting  
When you know its meant to be_

**Sakuno spun and danced all around the stage. She flowed with the music.**

_Everything comes naturally, it comes naturally  
When you're with me, baby  
Everything comes naturally, it comes naturally  
Bay bay baby  
_

**Sakuno went and stood back-to-back with Riku as she continued to sing.**

_You have a way of moving me  
A force of nature, your energy_

_It comes naturally_

**Hana: **_(You know it does)  
__**Sakuno and Hana: **__It comes naturally  
_**Sakuno: **_Mmmm yeah  
_

**Sakuno move over to where Hana was and the two shared the same microphone as they sung.**

_And it takes my breath away (Everytime)  
What you do, so naturally_

**Sakuno went back to singing solo as she moved to the front of the stage.**

_You are the thunder and I am the lightening  
And I love the way you know who you are  
And to me it's exciting  
When you know its meant to be  
Everything comes naturally, it comes naturally  
When you're with me, baby  
Everything comes naturally, it comes naturally  
Bay bay baby_

When we collide, sparks fly  
When you look in my eyes, it takes my breath away

**Sakuno's voice became stronger and everyone on the dance floor danced and moved with her. Sakuno became one with the song.**_  
_

_(You are)  
You are the thunder and I am the lightening  
And I love the way you know who you are  
And to me it's exciting  
When you know its meant to be  
Everything comes naturally, it comes naturally  
When you're with me, baby  
Everything comes naturally, it comes naturally  
Bay bay baby_

(Naturally)  
Naturally x5  
Bay bay baby

(Naturally)  
Naturally x5  
Everything baby comes naturally

When the music stopped, everyone broke out into applause. Sakuno smiled her biggest smile. Soon they continued their performance.

* * *

**A/N: Whew, finally through. This is the longest chapter I have ever written. Please don't forget to review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Naturally_ by Selena Gomez and the Scene.**


	8. His Attention

**A/N: Hey minna-san! So I hope you guys aren't too mad at me for keeping you waiting. I'm really sorry. I did have some stuff come up (mostly dealing with college assignments that my professors assigned to kill me...slowly) and I also had writer's block. But at least I'm a little better than my roommate who keeps her readers waiting for like a year.**

**Okay so this chapter is actually the next to last chapter. I was trying to decided whether I should combine the two chapters but decided against it because I felt that you all deserved a chapter now for being such good readers and reviewers. Just to let you know the next chapter might be shorter than this, but I'm going to work hard to make just as long and hopefully as good (maybe better).**

**Also this chapter maybe a little more deep (and I use that term loosely) than the other ones so if you don't like it make sure to tell me in the reviews. I take all reviews (both good and bad, but don't try to break my spirit), so please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**His Attention**

Ryuzaki Sakuno was the definition of innocence. She was shy, quiet, and sweet. She was also very sheltered, not knowing the real world for what it really was. Sakuno was not obsessed with her looks like most other girls. She didn't boast about herself in front of others or even to her own self. Most of the time, she thought that she wasn't good enough in anything that she did, even though she knew that wasn't necessarily true. Sakuno was kind to everyone around her. She made sure to take care of other people's needs before taking care of her own. Sakuno was also clumsy. Often times her friends would see her trip over air. She was also naturally oblivious to some things around her.

But all of that was before Sakuno broke the barrier of her shell. Sakuno used to keep inside her shell, and hide the person she wanted to be, the real her, away. She wanted to be confident, she wanted to have a conversation with anyone and everyone without stuttering, and she wanted to take the world on by storm. It had seemed like forever ago when Sakuno had made that promise with herself. She didn't know how she would change, but she had hoped that the day would come when she could be proud of a better version of herself. This new Sakuno had been coming for a long time now. Even when she was young, Sakuno didn't really care for her personality.

Making new friends was always hard for Sakuno. That is until she met her polar opposite and best friend Tomoka. Osakada Tomoka gave her a new strength. Sakuno loved how Tomoka was so different and strong. Sakuno admired her best friend. As time went on, Sakuno met more and more people who had characteristics that she wanted herself.

But the most powerful influence in her life had to have been the one and only prince of tennis. Echizen Ryoma was her first big crush and the first person she ever felt she could really love in that way. Sakuno was drawn to him. Initially, Sakuno didn't understand it. What made this boy everything she wanted and wanted to be?

Because of him, Sakuno took up tennis. She worked hard to become better. And in some ways tennis helped her. With tennis, she had goals. Tennis wasn't a dream like her "an improved Sakuno dream" was. Tennis felt more real. Sakuno improved little by little. Her first goal was to be able to serve. When that was accomplished, her new goal was to return a serve. Sakuno continued this routine, but in the long run nothing changed. She was still herself, the same shy, quiet, and sweet girl.

Then she joined the band. She became friends with Mitsuharu Riku and the others, but Riku most of all. He helped her come out of her shell. Riku cracked the walls that surrounded Sakuno bit by bit. The reasons were unexplainable. All Sakuno knew was that she was acting like her true self. For once in her life, Sakuno felt that she was truly alive.

* * *

There were various reactions to Sakuno and the band. Most of the students, who didn't know Sakuno or could care less, were dancing and having a good time. For them the band was overall pretty good and a nice surprise. Rumors had been spreading for a while that a live band would be playing at the dance. The stage that had been setup confirmed the rumors for the most part, but when the DJ had started playing everyone pushed their thoughts about a band to the backs of their minds. Now they were glad for the fresh new band. Other students, who knew Sakuno, were shocked by Sakuno being a lead singer in a band. However as the music continued to flow, they got over the initial shock and began to dance and enjoy the performance. And then there were the students who could only watch in shock and confusion. They were Sakuno's closest friends: the regulars, the freshmen trio, and Tomoka.

They all wondered the same things: When did this happen? Since when was Sakuno in a band? And since when did she become like this? This girl in front of them was not the Ryuzaki Sakuno they all knew and loved. This girl was confident with the way she strutted all around the stage. This girl was not clumsy but graceful. She was outgoing. She was a brand new Sakuno. This Sakuno was making her mark on the stage before them. Sakuno's voice filled their ears.

Ryoma was affected the most. He remembered the times that Sakuno's voice seemed to be like a mouse's squeak to his ears. He remembered thinking that she believed that she truly was a mouse, and that he was a cat looking for a good meal. Sakuno would be so timid around him. Sure, Sakuno would stutter around other people, especially people she never met before. But when she was around him, her stuttering went to a whole new level. Not only that, she wouldn't look Ryoma in the eye. Sakuno would stare at the ground, while slightly ducking her head, to avoid making eye contact. In addition, when she was extremely nervous or uncomfortable, she would wring the hem of her skirts in her hands.

However, that was only in the beginning. After some months the tension that surrounded Sakuno when she was around Ryoma slowly decreased. Though she would still stutter, Sakuno gained the ability to look Ryoma in the eye. As she steadily learned about him, Sakuno realized that Ryoma wasn't as bad as he seemed at first glance. She always felt that the boy who saved her on the train couldn't have been that bad. It was the constant coldness that made her shy away from the young prince.

The same could be said for Ryoma. Once he got past her bumbling nature, Ryoma saw the same caring and loving girl that all their friends knew. She intrigued him. Unlike all the other girls at Seigaku, Sakuno truly cared for him. She wasn't obnoxiously loud. Even when Sakuno cheered him on at his matches, she quietly and discreetly did so, and still he felt that she was giving him more support than anyone else. She saw Ryoma the person, and not Ryoma the tennis prince. For the first time in his life a girl captured his attention.

The tables have taken an unexpected turn. Since they met, Sakuno watched Ryoma play tennis in awe. Now it was his time to watch her in awe. She was amazing. She had entranced her audience to her very own will without even noticing it. And Ryoma was no different. Her melodic voice hypnotized him. Her body language and dance moves stirred something up within him that Ryoma had never felt in his life. He couldn't take his eyes away from the girl. To him, he and Sakuno were the only two people in the room. The other students, the chaperones, and even the music had faded away.

Ryoma's eyes followed Sakuno around the stage until the very end when the band's set was up. He watched her as she made her way behind the curtains that withheld the view of the backstage area. As soon as she was out of sight Ryoma came back to reality. Around him, his friends animatedly talked about Sakuno's performance. Ryoma listened in on all the raving reviews everyone was sharing and couldn't help but to silently agree to all of them.

* * *

Sakuno and her band mates finally finished with their mini-concert. The audience's reactions were more than what they expected. They celebrated as soon as all of them were off the stage. They high-fived each other and gave congratulatory hugs. All five of them were all hyped up.

Riku pulled Sakuno over to the side. "I knew you could do it," Riku said with his signature smirk on his face.

Sakuno smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around Riku's neck bringing him into a hug. "Arigato," she whispered into his ear. "Thank you so much for believing in me." Sakuno let go of her friend so that she could look directly in Riku's eyes. "And thank you for bringing me out of my shell."

Riku chuckled. "No problem, grasshopper. You have done well." Riku dramatically bowed to Sakuno.

Sakuno could only laugh at his antics. Her laughter was soon cut short by some sort of chanting that was heard. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite make out what the chant exactly was. It seemed as though many people were yelling at the same time but many of the people were off key. Riku and Sakuno shared a confused look. It only took a few seconds before they found out what was going on.

The dance's DJ came up to the band and told them what was going on. "The students want an encore. What do you guys say?"

The grouped looked at each other expectantly. They all were quite ready to go back on stage to relieve the extra energy their first performance had left. Seeing that no disagreed, Hikaru was the one who spoke up.

Turning to the DJ, she said, "We loved to, but can you just give us a minute to get ready."

The DJ nodded in understanding. "How about I play another song? Will you guys be ready by then?"

"Uh, yeah, we should be," Hikaru answered. The DJ nodded as he turned around to head back to his turn tables before the playing song could end. Hikaru turned her attention to the rest of the band. "So what should we play?"

Everyone started thinking of songs that would be best. Sakuno, Hana, and Ran were trying to think of the most exciting songs that they had rehearsed many times before. Riku, however, had another idea in mind.

Before anyone else gave suggestions, Riku spoke up. "How about _This is Me_?"

The other members turned and looked at him.

"Really?" Hikaru asked. "It's not one of the biggest songs that we could play. In fact, it's just one of the beginning songs that we used to practice when Sakuno-chan was first starting out in the band."

"Yeah, it'll be fitting, don't you think?" Riku replied with an easy smirk. "This is our first gig. Maybe some nostalgia will be good. Keep us close to where we first began."

The other band members meditated on what Riku said. They realized that he was trying to make sure that the band wouldn't lose itself in the clouds. Sure, they were all hyped up now, but they couldn't let their egos get too big for their own good.

Ran clapped his hand on Riku's shoulder and said, "Let's do it."

Everyone smiled in agreement.

"Alright," Hikaru said. "_This is Me_ it is."

"Sure why not," Hana said. "Ready Sakuno-chan?"

"Hai," Sakuno answered with a bright smile.

"Good cause I think this song is about half over."

Sakuno nodded showing that she understood that it was almost time to go back on stage. She was starting to take deep breaths to calm down a little. However this time going on stage would be different. She already knew that she could do, so she wasn't as nervous as before. Now, Sakuno was excited about getting back on the stage and singing for everyone once more. The fact that the students wanted an encore performance at all was amazing to her. With each note, lyric, and song, Sakuno's confidence grew even more.

Riku watched as Sakuno took deep breaths. He knew that this time she wouldn't need a pep talk. She already got her confidence boost being on stage the first time. Doing this a second time, would be a breeze for her. But there was still one final step that she needed to take, before she was completely ready to take on the world without her shell anymore.

* * *

**A/N: So how did you like it? Remember to tell me in the reviews. I should heve the next chapter up soon, if need be I'll use my spring break to finish it and have it up for you. (Reviews do help me work faster. I'm just throwing that out there.)**

**In other news, I am thinking of making this story a trilogy. The next installment would take place in three years (while they are in high school) and the one after when they have all graduated. If you don't like the idea or want to give me ideas please put it in your review. I'll give you a definite on whether I'll make the installments or not in the final chapter (in truth it depends on how I feel when I end this one, but if you guys request the other installments then I'm more likely to do it).**


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